The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Silk reelers sulk as strike enters twelfth day

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Thursday, May 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Silk reelers sulk as strike enters twelfth day

Staff Reporter

State yet to respond; trading in Anantapur markets hit

DHARMAVARAM: The strike by silk reelers in the district for the last 12 days has completely paralysed the cocoon trading in the markets at Dharmavaram, Kadiri and Hindupur.

The reelers are striking work strike due to un-remunerative prices to the silk yarn produced by them and unable to withstand the losses being suffered over the years.

No sales

Their strike has direct impact on farmers producing cocoons and the labourers working for the reelers as there are no sales of cocoons and employment to daily wage earners working with the reelers.

However, there is no impact of the reelers’ strike on the silk looms and mechanised reelers and dyers as the loom owners were procuring silk yarn from the Karnataka and importing from China.

As a result, there appears to be very few takers, including the political parties, for the reelers’ strike, a fall out of crisis in the sericulture sector.

Future uncertain

According to official estimated there were about 600 reelers in the district producing the silk yarn in traditional methods using ‘charkha’.

The number of reelers used to be over 1,000 till the early 1990s. But, poor quality of domestic silk production, lack of remunerative price to the yarn produced and flooding of markets with silk yarn from China have all complicated the reelers’ and cocoon growers’ problem from the mid 1990s.

Reelers’ Association president Riyaz explained that they would require about eight kgs of cocoons for producing one kg of silk yarn. The reelers would purchase cocoons with price ranging from Rs. 90 to 130 per kg based on the quality and market fluctuations.

The price they would get for the silk yarn in the market would range between Rs. 800 to 950 per kg, based on the quality.

Thus, the reelers had been suffering losses invariably over the years.

Disturbing situation

“We have been continuing with the vocation in the hope of good times. But, that has eluded us so far.

There are several instances where reelers have gone bankrupt even by disposing their properties like houses and lands eventually to meet the losses in the un-remunerative work”, Riyaz stated.

The silk reelers are now looking out for a helping hand from the government in the form of incentives.

The neighbouring Karnataka government was giving 10 per cent incentive to the traditional reelers and the reelers in the district are expecting a similar gesture.

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